Expedition against Yin

The Xi and He clans were steeped in wine and lust, abandoning the seasons and disrupting the calendar. The Marquis of Yin went to punish them, and thus the "Punitive Expedition of Yin" was composed. (This passage is not in the original text.)

When Zhong Kang first assumed rule over the four seas, the Marquis of Yin was charged with overseeing the six armies. The Xi and He clans neglected their duties and indulged in drunken debauchery within their fiefs. The Marquis of Yin, receiving the king’s command, went to punish them.

The Marquis of Yin admonished the multitude, saying: "Alas, my people! The sages had plans and instructions, clearly verified, capable of stabilizing the state. The former kings could be cautious regarding Heaven’s warnings, the ministers and people could abide by constant laws, and the hundred officials cultivated their assistance, thus their rulers became enlightened and ever more enlightened."

In the first month of each spring, the roving herald went about the roads shaking a wooden bell. Officials admonished one another, and craftsmen mastered their arts to offer remonstrance. If anyone was disrespectful, the state had fixed punishments.

Now the Xi and He clans have overturned their virtue, sunk and disordered by wine, turned their backs on their offices, abandoned their posts, and begun to disrupt the heavenly calendar, far casting aside their duties. On the first day of the last month of autumn, the sun and moon did not meet in the Fang mansion. The music master beat the drum, the husbandman ran about, and the common people scurried, yet the Xi and He clans, occupying their posts as if vacant, neither heard nor knew. They were benighted and confused regarding the celestial phenomena, thus violating the former kings’ penalty of death. The government code says: "Whoever anticipates the heavenly season shall be killed without pardon; whoever lags behind the heavenly season shall be killed without pardon."

Now I lead you, the multitude, to execute Heaven’s punishment. You, the many officers, must unite your strength to assist the royal house, hoping to aid me in reverently bearing the august command of the Son of Heaven.

When fire blazes through Mount Kun, fine jade and common stones are burned together. If Heaven’s officers indulge in corrupt virtue, it is fiercer than raging fire. The chief culprits must be exterminated, but those coerced into following shall not be punished. Those formerly stained by base customs shall be renewed together with them.

Alas! When majesty overcomes private affection, there is indeed success; when private affection overcomes majesty, there is indeed no success. You, the many officers, must strive and be vigilant!

The Book of Documents, Volume Three, The Shang Book.